Years Later
by ravenpuffwudgie
Summary: Percy and Annabeth were together in school. 12 years after a painful breakup, Percy moves into Annabeth's building by chance. The result is lots of inner conflict, pain, and a little bit of hope. Please read and review. Story is more fun than the summary makes it out to be, promise! :)
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth walked up to her door, balancing three grocery bags in one arm, fished out her keys and began the risky process of opening the door to her flat, just as her downstairs neighbour, Mrs. Fitzgerald came upstairs, followed by a stranger.

"Oh hello, dear, have you met your new neighbour?", asked Mrs. Fitzgerald, smiling at Annabeth. As she spun around to greet the 74 year old, one bag of groceries tumbled out of her arms, and its contents, mostly vegetables, scattered along the corridor.

"Hel- oh shit!", exclaimed Annabeth, bending to gather the fallen groceries closest to her. As she was picking up celery, she saw someone crouch beside her and gather the wayward tomatoes. She straightened, turning to thank her kind helper, when the words died in her throat. She couldn't believe her eyes. And judging by the expression on the face of the man standing opposite her, he couldn't believe it either.

"All's well, dear. As I was saying, this is your new neighbour, Percy Jackson! He'll be taking the flat next to yours", said Mrs. Fitzgerald, quite unaware of the emotional turmoil that Annabeth was feeling.

A few seconds passed with no one saying anything, then Annabeth shook herself a little, as though to wake herself up, and said "erm, yes, I know him. Percy Jackson. We went to school together". Percy was still frozen in shock and Mrs. Fitzgerald seemed concerned about him.

"Are you quite alright, love?", she asked, frowning a little. Percy blinked, turned around said "oh yes, my apologies, I was just a little taken aback", with that, he held out the tomatoes to Annabeth, who took them reluctantly and went back to trying to open her door.

"Here, let me", he said, taking the keys from her hand and opening the rusty lock easily. He pushed the door open and stood back to let Annabeth pass him. He wasn't able to stop himself from stealing a glance at the inside of her flat. What he saw was keeping in tune with what he remembered of her, books strewn everywhere, pictures of her friends on the walls (he was startled to see a few of the common friends they had had in school 12 years ago), and an entire wall with simply a beautiful painting of a forest in the fall.

He smiled to himself, her penchant for nature and books had not reduced at all.

"Well, thank you for your help", said Annabeth, not looking at her new neighbour, "but, I really have to put all this away, nice seeing you again!", she lied as she shut the door in his face. She caught a glimpse of Mrs. Fitzgerald's confused face as the door clicked in place. She turned and leaned against the door, breathing heavily while taking out her cell phone to call her friend Silena, who picked up after a few rings.

"Hey, I have huge news", exclaimed Annabeth, still trying to get her heart rate down.

"Go on", said the calm voice of Silena.

"You remember how the flat next to mine has been empty for the last year? Well, it has an occupant now, Percy Jackson", said Annabeth, as she sat down on her couch, with her free hand covering her face.

"No bloody way!", yelled Silena, "that CANNOT be true! I mean, what are the chances?", she said, agitated, as she knew the reason why Annabeth was so upset, having gone to school with Percy and her, and knowing their history.

"Yeah well, I don't know what to tell you. I was having a perfectly fine day when my downstairs neighbour introduced him to me. Of course, I had to be groping around the corridor picking up stray vegetables!", said Annabeth, with a groan.

"Was he surprised to see you?", inquired Silena.

"Of course he was, Sil! He would have been less shocked if it had been a seal in a ball gown!", said Annabeth, recalling Percy's expression.

"That escalated quickly", said Silena with a giggle, "listen, don't worry about it too much, you probably won't have to meet him a lot, who hangs out with their neighbours in this city? Besides, he'll stay away from you", she added.

"I hope so. Well, I'm gonna digest this news, talk later", said Annabeth in a resigned voice. She sat back on the couch, unable to believe her luck, that the only person in the world who could absolutely annihilate her, had landed himself in her building. She thought back to her school days, when she had first met Percy as a freshman. They had become friends after a few months, and had continued that friendship for over a year, all the while falling in love with each other. After their eventual confessions to each other, they had begun dating, although their relationship had been short lived, ending after a mere six months. The reasons that Percy had given her about why he had broken up with her didn't add up and he changed his story every time she confronted him about it, but that didn't help her in getting over him. Her feelings for him never went away, not even after they graduated school and went their separate ways. Sure, she had dated other guys, but she was never able to make those relationships last, as she was constantly comparing them to Percy. Thus, she had gone through college, graduate school and her doctorate years, fairly lonely, except for her best friend Silena, whom she had also known since freshman year.

She knew that she should try to be comfortable with Percy as her neighbour. After all, it had been 12 years since their relationship ended, and she was sensible enough to know that nothing could happen between them. They were both secure adults, and they wouldn't let their history get in the way of being cordial with each other. Nothing would happen between them.

But then why did she feel her heart flutter as she remembered his expression when he had seen her? Shock, certainly, but also a hint of joy. He had looked her up and down as though comparing her to twelve years ago, and his face had betrayed him with the merest of smiles.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Please do continue to do so.**

 **Also, a huge thank you to The Sadistic Fangirl for being the best beta of all time.**

 **I know, this chapter is fairly short, but I feel it was necessary for the narrative to develop. Hope you like it!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

Annabeth got up and had just started putting all her groceries away when her doorbell rang. Sighing, she walked towards the door, and opened it, knowing who would be on the other side. Sure enough, there was Percy, standing in her doorway, with his hands clasped behind his back. He greeted her with a nod, which she returned, not looking at his face.

"Erm, if you don't mind, I need some help with the building and area. I just moved here from Dublin and I really don't know this place," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh. I see. Yeah, no worries, erm, come in," said Annabeth, "sorry about the mess, I haven't had time to clean up."

"That's okay." said Percy as he sat down on her couch. "So, my first question is, what is the situation with mail here?"

Annabeth sat down across from him, crossing her ankles. She answered his question, and so their conversation continued, never straying beyond the building and neighbourhood. She realised that this was actually the first time that she had heard his voice since school. He had acquired a slight Irish accent, no doubt from living in Dublin. She discreetly looked him over, and found that he looked quite good. He had always been tall, but had filled out nicely and was lean. He was dressed casually in jeans and a button down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, definitely to minimise discomfort while moving.

Percy smiled to himself. Annabeth thought that she was being discreet but he could see every move she made and every thought that crossed her mind was written on her face. She liked how he looked. He had to admit, she looked good as well. She was dressed in a skirt (he wasn't sure of the style or material, but it was nice) and blouse, with her curly hair flowing freely past her shoulders and down her back. He could see her PhD certificate framed on the wall, surrounded by pictures of her loved ones. Her small apartment was cluttered with items that she obviously thought important, but seemed to take up far more space than normal. But that was Annabeth for you. She preserved memories more than anything.

Once Percy had asked all his questions, he made as though to get up.

"I'm sorry, you must be hungry. What can I get you to eat?", asked Annabeth, walking to her kitchen and pulling open the refrigerator.

"Oh, no, I'm good, thank you", said Percy.

"Don't be silly, there's plenty", said Annabeth, turning to frown at him.

"No, seriously, I'm good. I ate before coming here. I'll leave now, thank you for all your help", said Percy, quickly moving to the door. Annabeth followed him. Right outside her door, as she moved to close it, having said goodbye, Percy turned around and said "by the way, it's really nice seeing you. I hope we can be friends again. I've missed you". He then spun on his heel and strode over to his flat.

Annabeth closed her door, feeling bewildered. Percy had just admitted that he missed her, and she had stood there gaping at him, as though he had expressed a sudden desire to become a ballerina. She shook herself and put on music in an effort to distract herself from the man who would occupy her thoughts for the next few days.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Please let me know where all I can improve my writing.**

 **A shout out to The Sadistic Fangirl for being the beta of this story!**

 **CHAPTER 3**

It had been a week since Percy had moved into his flat. Besides polite hellos when passing each other in the corridor, Annabeth and him hadn't said a word to each other. Annabeth had been intentionally arriving home late at night, in an effort to avoid running into Percy, Silena had helped a lot in that endeavour, letting Annabeth hang out at her place whenever she wanted to. Of course, Silena maintained that Annabeth should stop acting like a child, but she wasn't one to turn away her best friend.

One night, as Annabeth pulled up into her parking spot at a little after midnight, she saw headlights of a car behind her. She quickly gathered her things and got out of the car, when a voice calling out her name made her stop.

"Hey Annabeth!", called Percy, jogging to catch up with her.

Reluctantly, she turned around, "hey", she replied shortly, entering the building.

"So, how are you? I had the best day at work today-", began Percy, when Annabeth cut him off, "if you don't mind, I had a rough day at work. I'd rather not talk about anything".

"Oh, sure, no worries", said Percy with an easy grin. They walked upstairs, neither of them saying a word until they reached their respective flats, when he broke the silence by saying, "you know, given how hard you've been trying to avoid me, this must have been a real bummer".

"Wha-I didn't, I mean, I wasn't", sputtered Annabeth, shocked that he had noticed. Percy smiled at her, "come on, I'm a programmer. I stay up till 2 every night. You think I can't hear you spending 5 five minutes every night trying to get that rusty lock to open? And, yeah, I know that your work doesn't end this late every night. You're a psychiatrist. You have relatively fixed hours".

"Listen, I-", began Annabeth when Percy cut her off, "look, I get it. It's awkward and confusing and you probably hate me for everything I did when we were in school, and I totally understand that. I would hate me too. I do hate me too. For that, at least. But, I really need you to know that I'm sorry. I really am. I was a jerk and I broke your heart. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret that, so if you want to keep avoiding me, that's okay, I promise that I won't impose myself on you, but if it is okay with you, I'd like to try to make amends".

There was a silence as they looked at each other, Percy was breathing rather heavily.

"I don't hate you", said Annabeth in a small voice, "I really don't. And, yeah, I guess, it is silly that I am avoiding you, so, I won't anymore. You don't have to make amends, I forgave you 12 years ago. I just...don't know how to be around you".

"That's good to know", said Percy, unlocking his door, "how about this, we don't force anything and see what happens? I will make amends though. You can't stop me from doing that"

"You should really get some sleep. Your patients aren't going to heal themselves", he continued, entering his flat, "good night, Annabeth".

"Good night", Annabeth whispered, unlocking her own door.

15 minutes later, she flopped down on her bed, her mind reeling with everything Percy had said. She knew that she was being irrational, thinking about him so much, and it wasn't like her to focus on a guy this much in the first place. But she couldn't stop herself any more than she could stop the world from turning. She couldn't help but wonder if everything he said meant that they could go back to how they were before they had started dating. She missed that easy friendship. But she knew that she wouldn't get to know for sure until later. Sighing, she rolled over and drifted off to sleep. It was to be her first peaceful sleep in a week.

In the next flat, Percy sat at his desk, his laptop open in front of him, staring at the screen but not seeing anything. He hadn't meant to point out her avoidance of him, but he had difficulty thinking straight around her. It had been that way since they were in school. She'd appear in his line of vision and all rational thought ceased for him. He'd blurt out whatever came to his mind, with no control over what he said. It had really shocked those who knew him before she came into his life, as he had always been a poised, quiet and introverted person, who never ventured into anything deeper than small talk.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the screen in front of him, and began typing, doing his best to not think about Annabeth.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: thank you for reading and reviewing. Please do tell me where I can improve.**

 **A shoutout to The Sadistic Fangirl for being the beta of this story**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

"Dr. Chase, Miss Bennett is here for her appointment", crackled the voice of Jenny, Annabeth's assistant.

"Great, send her in please", said Annabeth, ready for her first session of the day. She worked at the Johnson Medical Centre, a small yet renowned hospital, and specialised in schizophrenia and dissociative disorders. She hadn't worked at the Centre for a long time, only a year, and had had trouble being taken seriously as a psychiatrist, being only 28 years old. The fact that she was 5 feet 3 inches tall didn't help either, but she was slowly and steadily making progress, and had come to really like her workplace.

Annabeth sat down in her armchair and readied her notepad and pen when her client walked in. She greeted her with a smile and began their session.

A little over an hour later, she took a mandatory break to regain her mental strength and then called in her next client. And so her day continued uneventfully, the only highlight being that they were serving chocolate pie in the cafeteria at lunch. During her lunch break, Annabeth left Silena a message, reminding her to eat dinner. Silena was an astrophysicist working at a university and had been lucky enough to gain access to the university's high end telescope. As a result, she would be up all night, sleep all day and consequently, forget to eat a proper meal, relying on granola bars and energy drinks.

At around 7 in the evening, Annabeth bid adieu to her last client of the day and headed home, ready to crash on her couch. As she got in her car, she saw her client's mother, Mrs. Smith, struggling to get her schizophrenic son into their car. She got out and walked across the parking lot to help, when she noticed that Mr. Smith (her client) was hallucinating and aggressive. She approached them slowly.

"Hey there Kyle. How are we doing?", said Annabeth in a soothing voice, raising her hands to show Kyle that she was holding nothing in them. "Do you want to maybe get in the car? Don't you want to see the ducks in the park?", she asked, knowing that the park calmed him down. She moved closer to Kyle and nodded at Mrs. Smith, who opened the car door. As Annabeth neared Kyle, he suddenly lashed out, hitting her squarely in the chest, sending her flying backwards into a parked car.

As she landed, she heard a sickening crunch and felt excruciating pain in her left arm. She also felt something wet down the side of her face and realised that she must have hit her head. However, she was able to stand and saw Kyle struggling against two security guards, who must have seen her fall and came to subdue Kyle. As she watched, she saw Mrs. Smith talk to Kyle in a calm, soothing voice. He gradually stopped struggling and sat down in the car.

Mrs. Smith put a seat belt on him, closed the door and turned towards Annabeth, tears forming in her eyes upon seeing Annabeth's blood across her face. She opened her mouth to apologise, but Annabeth didn't let her speak, "no, Mrs. Smith, please. Don't apologise. I completely understand and I'm fine, I promise. This risk is part of the job after all, and I'm just glad that Kyle is okay. Please, take him to the park, he'll feel much better, and I'll see him next week."

"Dr. Chase, I-", began Mrs. Smith, but Annabeth waved her off, "it's okay, I'm fine. Please don't worry. Just relax. I'm going to head inside to get patched up, and I'll be perfectly okay. Please."

With that, Annabeth clasped one of Mrs. Smith's hands, gave it a squeeze and walked towards the emergency room of the Centre, supported by the guards, Tom and Andrew. As she walked, she realised that there were tears pouring down her face and acutely felt just how much pain she was in. Her knees buckled underneath her, just as Andrew wrapped an arm across her shoulders, helping her walk. Annabeth felt as though she couldn't breathe. The only thing she was aware of was the pain she was feeling. She felt her knees give out and collapsed on the parking lot. Andrew picked her up just as two doctors ran out of the Centre with a gurney and hoisted her on to it. They quickly dragged her to the ER and began the process of patching her up. Annabeth was only vaguely aware of what was happening around her, her head felt like it was going to burst. When the pain reached a crescendo, she blacked out.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. I only own the storyline and a few OCs. Shout out to The Sadistic Fangirl- the best beta ever.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

Annabeth woke up when someone shone a light in her eyes. She winced, wanting to get away from the blinding light.

"Dr. Junaid, she's awake!" exclaimed the voice belonging to the person who was checking her pupils. A tall man walked into Annabeth's field of vision. He smiled kindly at her and said, "Hello, Dr. Chase, I'm Dr. Junaid. You're in the Emergency Room, you blacked out because of the injury to your head. But don't worry, you're okay. A mild concussion, but okay nonetheless."

"Hi, nice to meet you. Is Kyle okay?", asked Annabeth, fidgeting in her bed. She felt a series of sharp pains on her head and realised that the doctor that had been checking her pupils, Dr. Patel, according to her nametag, was cleaning her head wound.

"Kyle? The man who attacked you? Yes, he is okay, his mother drove him home, presumably. I'm sure that someone will talk to you about the legal action you can take against him, but for now, your injuries need to be tended to. Your arm is broken, and I'm going to put it in plaster", said Dr. Junaid, sitting down on a stool next to her bed.

"Legal action?" asked Annabeth, trying to sit up. She winced when her head throbbed in response to her movement, and decided that it was best to keep lying down.

"Well, yes. You have the right to sue him, he attacked you", said Dr. Patel, still dabbing away at her head.

"Absolutely not! The man is mentally ill! He wasn't in control of what he did! This is not his fault", said Annabeth forcefully.

"It is up to you, Dr. Chase. Now please, relax so that I can stitch up your head", said Dr. Patel, getting a suture kit and leaning over Annabeth.

Annabeth sighed, settling back in her bed. The two doctors continued to work on her, and once they were finished, Dr Junaid asked her, "Is there anyone we can call? To take you home? You need two days of bed rest, minimum."

Annabeth nodded, "Yeah, my friend Silena Beauregard", she then rattled off Silena's phone number. Dr. Patel dialled her number from the hospital phone and informed her of the reason for the call.

Twenty minutes later, a white faced Silena burst into the Emergency Room and upon spotting Annabeth sitting on her bed, ran over to her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, "Don't you ever do that to me again! Are you okay?", asked Silena forcefully.

Annabeth patted her back, saying "I'm okay! Promise! I'm fine" over and over again.

After a few seconds, Silena pulled away, "my goodness, look at you! Who do I talk to about your recovery?".

Dr. Junaid cleared his throat, "that would be me", he said, walking forwards to shake Silena's hand. He introduced himself and detailed the recovery process to her, as well as providing a prescription for some mild painkillers. Silena thanked him, got some paperwork out of the way and put her arm around Annabeth, helping her to get up and walk to Silena's car. She got into the passenger seat, groaning. Silena quickly started the car and set off on the 30-minutes long drive to Annabeth's building.

"You know, there is absolutely no need for you to stay with me tonight. You have your research, and I'll probably just take a couple of painkillers and sleep the night away", said Annabeth in a matter of fact tone.

"I am staying with you. Forget my research. You need me", said Silena through clenched teeth, looking almost angry.

"Sil, be reasonable. What will you accomplish by staying with me? I love you for offering, but please, go to work. It's only 9 o' clock, you can easily make it to the university in time. I'll call you first thing in the morning, I promise", said Annabeth with a sigh.

"Ugh. Fine. You know I'm only agreeing if you promise to sleep all night", grumbled Silena, knowing that logic had won that argument.

"Yes, definitely. Promise", said Annabeth in earnest. She smiled at Silena and settled back in her seat. 20 minutes later, Silena pulled into the parking lot in front of Annabeth's building, got out of the car and helped Annabeth out. Once they got upstairs to Annabeth's flat, Silena fished out her key to her best friend's flat, opened the door and walked Annabeth to her room, where she promptly collapsed on her bed and was snoring in a matter of seconds, after mumbling "you're the best" to Silena.

Silena kept the filled out prescription beside Annabeth's bed, put a glass of water there and crept out of the flat. She locked the door of the flat behind her, knowing that Annabeth had a spare key with her. As she was walking down the corridor, the door of the flat next to Annabeth's opened and Percy stepped out. Upon seeing her, his eyes widened and only one thought crossed his mind, "oh, bloody hell".


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello all! I sincerely apologise for the long wait, I've been really busy. I'll post 3 chapters just now to make up for it (including this one). Thank you to the Sadistic Fangirl for being the best beta ever.

* * *

Percy was dressed for a night out. He was a good looking guy and had the easy confidence that so often accompanied good looks. But under the intensity of Silena Beauregard's glare, he quailed. He hadn't known that she was still friends with Annabeth, and being around her made him a little uncomfortable. The two had never gotten along very well, and had paid no heed to each other after leaving school.

"Well, hello," said Silena, breaking the silence.

"Oh, yeah, hi. How are you?" said Percy, extending his hand to shake hers.

"Quite well. And you?" replied Silena stiffly. She didn't like the guy. Not one bit.

"I'm good, shifted here recently. What brings you by?" he asked casually, walking downstairs next to her.

"Oh, Annabeth got hurt at work today so I was just dropping her off," said Silena, watching Percy's face closely. Her keen observation skills yielded results as she saw his jaw tighten.

"What? What happened to her? Is it serious?" asked Percy, stopping midway down a flight of stairs.

"She was attacked by a hallucinating patient. Broke her arm and a head injury. Not too bad, she'll be okay after rest," said Silena, looking at Percy's worried face. She realised that he was truly concerned but wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Percy swallowed hard, then continued walking downstairs.

"Well, let her know that in case she needs any help, I'm available," he said in a low voice.

They reached the front door of the building before Silena answered, "I'll do that. Enjoy your evening, goodbye." She walked towards her car, got in and drove off without a backward glance. On the inside, she was annoyed and worried. Not just about Annabeth's injuries, but about the fact that Percy was living next door to her best friend. He was actually worried about her and wanted to help her. This worried Silena because she knew the effect those two had on each other; if they ended up connecting again and things didn't work out, she wasn't sure that Annabeth would recover easily. She knew that Annabeth was tough, but this was uncharted territory for all three of them, and none of them had the first clue on how to handle it. As Silena drove, her mind was fully occupied by these thoughts. Only her impeccable ability to compartmentalise her life enabled her to focus on her work when she arrived at the university. Resolving to visit Annabeth in the morning, she turned her attention to her research.

As Percy drove towards the restaurant where he was meeting his friends, he kept instructing himself to not think about Annabeth for the remainder of the night, kept repeating to himself what Silena had said, that she would be alright. His decidedly unhelpful mind had conjured up an image of a severely injured Annabeth and he was loathe to admit that the image made him want to turn the car around, drive back to their building and wait in his flat until he could see her. Annabeth was finally driven from his consciousness when he was greeted by his colleague Grover Underwood.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey all! Here is the 7th chapter. Hope you like it. Thank you for reading and reviewing, please continue to do so. Thank you to The Sadistic Fangirl for beta-ing.

* * *

Annabeth was rudely woken by the sound of her pre-set alarm going off. Asia's "Heat of the Moment" blared through the room as Annabeth sat up, bleary eyed and fuzzy headed. It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts and bring her room into focus, but when she did, she became aware of slight pain in her arm. Looking down at her cast, she remembered her promise to Silena to call first thing in the morning and jumped out of bed, lunging towards her desk, upon which her phone lay. She immediately regretted the sudden movements as the throbbing in her head increased. Sitting at her desk, she called Silena, who answered almost immediately.

"Hey, Sil. I just woke up," said Annabeth, pressing a hand to her hand.

"Hi Ann. How are you? Any pain?" inquired Silena, sounding sleepy and tired.

"A little bit. It's fading now," said Annabeth, shifting her in her seat, "listen, are you going to come to my place now or go to yours?" she asked.

"Mine, I gotta crash for a while. I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye," said Silena hanging up the phone.

Annabeth sat back in her chair, gathering the will to get up and brush her teeth. Once she did, however, she felt much better. Returning to her room, she went over to her wardrobe, pulled out the most comfortable set of pajamas she owned and slipped into them, revelling in the fact that it was the Friday of a long weekend. She realised her luck in having a long weekend to recover and immediately decided to nap the afternoon away. She had just opened her laptop, when the doorbell rang.

Annabeth opened the door and found herself face to face with Percy.

"Hello," said Percy, looking her up and down as though scanning for more injuries. His eyes lingered on her arm and head, but his face remained passive.

"Hi," said Annabeth, holding the door open, "come in," she said, backing away from the entrance.

Percy slowly walked in, not taking his eyes off Annabeth. Despite his overwhelming worry, he couldn't help but smile inwardly at her Star Wars pajamas. He sat down on her couch, watching her as she sat across him, obviously confused as to why he was there.

"I met Silena on my way out last night, and she told me that you had gotten hurt, so I wanted to check in, see how you were and ask if you need anything," said Percy, gazing intensely at Annabeth.

"Silena, huh? That must have gone well," said Annabeth with a laugh, "No, I'm fine. I'm lucky that I have three days off. And, no, I don't need anything, thank you though."

"Are you sure? I can pick up groceries or something, if you want," said Percy.

"Yes, I'm sure. Very kind of you to offer though," said Annabeth, smiling at her guest.

Percy's breath caught in his chest a little as she smiled at him. Brushing that aside, he said, "well, I'm at home all day today, so just yell if you need me, I'll hear you."

"Definitely, thank you," replied Annabeth, moving towards her kitchen. She pulled out a glass from a cabinet, filled it with water and handed it to Percy, who accepted the glass gratefully, his mouth had gone dry a few seconds ago.

"So, you've had breakfast?" asked Percy, "it can't be easy, cooking with one arm".

"No, I woke up a few minutes ago, was just going to make some cereal," said Annabeth, looking over at the cereal box atop her refrigerator. Percy gave it the once over, it didn't look very appetising but promised a whole range of nutrients.

"How about I make you breakfast? I'm actually a decent cook," said Percy.

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly trouble you like that," said Annabeth quickly.

"It's no trouble. Come on, let me make you breakfast! It's part of my making amends strategy," said Percy with a sheepish smile. Annabeth gazed at him for a few seconds, then nodded, immediately wincing at the sharp pain caused.

Percy got up, went around to her, bent in front of her and placed his hand lightly over the bandage round her head, "stop moving your head," he said softly, looking into her eyes. Annabeth met his gaze for a split second then looked towards the floor, saying "yeah," in a quiet voice.

Percy straightened, smiled at her and walked over to the kitchen. Pulling the refrigerator open, he checked out its contents for a few seconds before taking out some eggs, bread and cream cheese. Annabeth sauntered over to the counter and sat on the bar stool in front of it.

"So, what exactly happened?" asked Percy lightly, cutting the crusts off the bread.

"Oh, I was in the parking lot when I saw one of my patients was having trouble. I walked over to help and he lashed out," said Annabeth slowly. After a few minutes, she got up and put the kettle on to boil, throwing in some tea leaves.

"Ah. Okay. Well, I am glad that you're alright. Also pretty glad that the worst that can happen with my job is that my laptop can run out of battery," said Percy as he spread cream cheese over the French toast he had just made.

Annabeth chuckled at that and sat back down as Percy put a plate of French toast in front of her, handed her some cutlery and gestured towards the food. She cut a small piece and cautiously took bite. Her eyes widened as the flavour of the toast exploded in her mouth, the mixture of blueberry jam and cream cheese blended really well. Percy was carefully watching her reaction and seemed pleased upon seeing her surprise. He turned around and took the kettle off the boil, pouring the tea out into two cups, fetching milk and sugar and setting down a cup and the additional ingredients on the counter.

Annabeth and Percy both added some milk and sugar to their tea and mixed it in, neither of them saying a word. But the silence didn't seem too uncomfortable. Sure, it was a little weird, but they'd roll with it. Annabeth quickly finished her toast, and wrapped her hands around the steaming mug of tea, looking at Percy who seemed to be very interested in the pictures on the wall in her living room. She turned to see which picture he was staring at and realised that it was one containing their classmates from school. He wasn't in the picture but everybody else from their little circle of friends was there.

"Wow. I can't believe how long ago that was. We were _kids_!" said Percy, shaking his head.

"Yeah. 10th grade. It has been 12 years since then," said Annabeth, her eyes trained on Percy. He glanced at her, knowing what the underlying statement was. Sighing, he said "listen, about that. I'm sorry. I've apologised before, but let me say it again, I'm sorry."

"You know what, it's okay. You don't need to apologise. Been a long time, let's just move on," said Annabeth with a smile, "besides, we have more important things to discuss".

Percy raised one eyebrow, "oh really? Like what?"

"Well, tell me about your life! Your family, college, everything," said Annabeth, "but, I want to lie down. So, is it okay if we go to my room?"

There was a pause as Percy looked at her, trying hard to ascertain if there was a connotation attached to the request. Before he could reach a conclusion, Annabeth laughed and said "I know what you're thinking. No. No hidden meaning, I just miss my blanket."

At that, Percy nodded and followed Annabeth to her room.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: hello everyone! I sincerely apologise for the long wait, I had exams. I apologise for the spacing errors, can't seem to shake them. As always, please read and review.

Annabeth's room was small and cosy, with a twin sized bed in the middle of it, which was covered in a quilt that had a galaxy print on it. There was a small nook created in the corner of the room where part of the wall jutted out, and there Annabeth had placed her desk, which had files upon files resting on it. Next to the "work nook" as Percy had mentally dubbed it, were huge bookshelves, filled to the brim with journals, thick hardbound volumes and a few novels. Her wardrobe occupied the wall opposite the shelves. Apart from that, the room had a few small paintings on the walls, mostly landscapes, but only two pictures. One showed Annabeth and Silena, laughing with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, and the other, Annabeth with her family.

While Percy was taking all this, Annabeth settled herself on her bed, safely buried under the thick quilt. She gestured to Percy to take the chair that was in front of her desk, which he dragged next to the bed and sat down in.

"Yes, tell me," said Annabeth, snuggling down further in the bed.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, stopped for a second when he saw Annabeth curled up in a blanket, then said "Well, you know which college I went to. I was, unsurprisingly, one of the nerds but I did well enough that I was given a job straight out of college. That was mostly due to internships. I worked there for around two years before quitting to do my Masters. Finished that, then joined where I am now. I've been in the company for four years, and I lived in Dublin for all four of them. They then decided that I'd be of better use here, so they transferred me. That's about it,".

"And your family?" asked Annabeth.

"My family...well, my parents are still back home. My brother Tyson is a mechanic," said Percy, leaning back in his chair, "you tell me, Dr. Chase. How has life treated you?".

Annabeth laughed and said "pretty well, actually. I got my bachelors, then masters straightaway. Worked at a clinic for a few years before completing my PhD in 3 years. I've been at Johnson Medical Centre for about a year now. As far as my family goes, they're back home as well, my brother Malcolm is a consultant. I'm still friends with Silena, as you know. I'm beyond lucky to have her here with me. She's family too,".

Percy smiled at that, "I gotta say, when I found out that you had been selected for a PhD. programme, I was impressed but not surprised. Everybody in our school knew that you would be the most qualified and successful out of all of us idiots. And, Silena...I don't think she has changed much. At least, her opinion of me hasn't".

"No, it hasn't," said Annabeth with a laugh, "and I'm not the most qualified and successful. That honour belongs to Sil. She completed her PhD. in two years, and managed to do a post-doctorate as well. The girl is _smart_ ".

She was fully settled in the bed now, lying curled up. She grinned up at Percy, and so they kept talking, about school, their lives, their friends. The ease with which they talked made it seem as though there never had been a rift between them. Without realising it, they grew closer to each other because of their conversation, they began to trust each other again.

In the middle of recounting a particularly interesting story involving Halloween, a bar crawl and a drunk friend whose escapade made it seem like Peter Parker was making out with Jar Jar Binks, Percy noticed that Annabeth had almost fallen asleep. He immediately stood up, saying "go to sleep. You need rest anyway".

"Hmm? No, I'm fine," she said, yawning so loudly that her words could barely be understood. She pulled the blanket closer around her, almost covering her face and seemed to have fallen asleep.

Percy looked down at Annabeth, smiled, and carefully adjusted her blanket, "sweet dreams, sunshine," he whispered, thinking that she was asleep and wouldn't hear him.

He crept out of the room, took one last look at Annabeth's sleeping form and shut the door behind him. He then exited her flat, and entered his own.

Going straight to his bedroom, he threw himself down on his bed, covering his eyes with an arm. He had no idea what he was doing, getting close to her again. He knew he shouldn't talk to her, shouldn't be worried about her but he had no control over that.

When he had seen her standing there, her arm and head in bandages, it had taken all his willpower to not wrap his arms around her. The sheer amount of joy her laugh had given him was frightening. His plan had been to just see her, find out how she was and leave, but knowing that she hadn't eaten and was obviously alone, had compelled him to stay. He hadn't wanted to leave when he had but there was no way he would stay while she was asleep. Groaning, he rolled over, fumbled for his phone and put on some music. He went to the kitchen and had a glass of water, trying to soothe the dryness in his mouth.

Shaking his head, Percy sat down in front of his laptop and began typing, not even trying to take his mind off the blonde next door.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello all! This is the 9th chapter, hope you all like it. Please do read and review!**

It was evening by the time Annabeth woke up, again because of her phone. This time, it was Silena calling, "hey, listen, I'm coming over," she said.

"Okay. Just don't ring the bell please. Let yourself in," said Annabeth, her voice laced with pain as she hung up the phone. Lying back down, she curled up in the warmth of the blanket and waited for Silena to arrive. Half an hour later, she heard her front door opening and confident strides across her living room and hallway. Her door was thrown open and Silena walked in, immediately running to Annabeth's side and hugging her. Annabeth hugged her back and inwardly marvelled her friend's beauty. Silena had been up all night, barely gotten enough sleep and she still looked like a model, with long, thick, flowy hair, bright blue eyes and perfect skin. She was also much taller than Annabeth, standing at 5 feet 9 inches.

Silena pulled away, took one look at Annabeth's face and immediately ran over to her desk, pulled out the painkillers and handed them to Annabeth who took them gratefully. Gulping down a pill, she sighed and leaned back, staring at Silena but not really seeing her. Silena looked down at her best friend, her brows furrowing. Annabeth was clearly in pain and nothing caused Silena more worry.

"Don't worry about me, love", said Annabeth with a weak smile. Silena just glared down at her, sat down on the bed and settled into the blanket.

"You absolute moron. Is it time for me to scold you yet?" said Silena, looking at the blonde next to her.

"Not yet. Give it a day or two more," said Annabeth with a laugh. She settled back onto the pillows and remembered what had happened just before she had fallen asleep. She could have sworn that Percy had whispered "sweet dreams, sunshine" to her. But that was absolutely crazy, why would he do that?

Pushing her thoughts aside, she turned to Silena who was watching her warily.

"Oh come, relax. I'm fine! I'll be in top shape soon" said Annabeth.

Silena snorted at that, "when have you EVER been in top shape? You fell off a treadmill last month."

"That was one time! My foot kept getting stuck on the track and you know it!" said Annabeth indignantly.

"Well, you almost broke your nose. And later, you managed to cut your leg on the elliptical," said Silena, shaking her head at her friend's clumsiness.

"They really should put some sort of foot grips on those things!" said Annabeth. She looked over at Silena who was shaking with silent laughter.

"Oh well, excuse me! We can't all be goddesses like you!" said Annabeth, glaring at Silena, who laughed even harder at that.

"Goddess? I should think not!" she said, looking over at Annabeth who had a look of utmost disgust on her face.

"OH REALLY?! We're doing this now? In what universe are you not perfect? You're fit and toned, you're ridiculously beautiful, you're incredibly intelligent, YOU HAVE A DOCTORATE, and you're the best person I know!" said Annabeth, getting agitated.

"Okay, okay! Breathe. Okay, I agree. Now calm down before you aggravate your head," said Silena, holding her hands up in surrender. She gently pushed Annabeth back down on the bed, got up to fetch a glass of water and handed it to Annabeth, who accepted it begrudgingly.

"Anyway. What do you want to do for dinner?" asked Silena, resting her head on the headboard of Annabeth's bed.

"I don't know. I don't have it in me to cook. Maybe we could order soup or something?" said Annabeth, sighing as she turned to look at Silena.

"Yeah, I'm cool with that. On it," she said, pulling out her phone and calling their favourite diner. She placed the order without bothering to consult Annabeth, already knowing what she would want.

"So, what did you do all day?" asked Silena, tilting her head to look at Annabeth, who became slightly fidgety. She sat up, glaring at the blonde, who refused to meet her eyes.

"What. Did. You. Do?" she repeated, her tone conveying her impending anger.

"Erm...not much. Percy came over, made me breakfast, sat with me, told me about his life after school, asked about mine, told me funny stories. After that, I slept," said Annabeth sheepishly, knowing what Silena's reaction would be.

Sure enough, when she met her best friend's eyes, she quailed under her gaze. Silena was glaring at her and just as she opened her mouth, Annabeth said, "oh, he also called me Sunshine when he thought I was asleep. Just putting that out there".

For a few seconds, Silena seemed speechless. She stared at Annabeth, who grinned at her.

"Annabeth Chase, WHAT ON EARTH IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" yelled Silena. Annabeth winced, covering her ears, "please don't yell, it hurts," she said.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry," said Silena, softening her voice considerably. "But Anna, what were you thinking? I thought we talked about this. You should be civil with him but under no circumstances should you get close to him again! You know how it turned out last time!" she said, imploring her friend to listen to reason.

"I know, I know. It just felt nice, you know? Him and I, back to how we were," said Annabeth softly.

"Babe, I get that. But please, look out for yourself for once. I don't want you to get hurt again. I'm not sure I'll listen to you this time, I'll bash his face in," said Silena, quite seriously.

"I won't get hurt again. I'm not saying that him and I will get back together, but I won't get hurt. I'm a lot older than I was. I know what I'm doing this time," said Annabeth with a conviction she didn't feel. In truth, she wasn't sure of anything at all. She looked at Silena and could tell that the brunette didn't believe her.

"Please, Sil. Drop it. I'm okay, I promise," said Annabeth, a pleading note in her voice.

"Fine. I'm dropping it. For now," said Silena, just as the doorbell rang. She got up to open the door. She came back a few minutes later, holding two bowls of soup. She handed one to Annabeth and watched her eat for a few minutes before eating her own soup.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hello all, apologies for the wait, another chapter will be up very soon. Please do read and review

Annabeth woke up to yet another harsh sound. She groaned, wondering when the world's combined assault upon her hurting head would end. The sound came through again and she realised that it was the doorbell. Looking over at Silena, she saw that her friend was out like a light.

With a lot of muttering to herself about unhelpful best mates, Annabeth dragged herself out of her room and across the living room. She hesitated for a second then threw the door open, her eyes coming to rest on Percy standing in her doorway.

For a second, she did nothing but stare at him. He was dressed in black pants and a simple, white button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She could see his long, thin fingers and his slightly muscular arms were brought to her attention when he reached a hand up to rake it through his hair. She wondered how they would feel wrapped around her, holding her close. Suddenly, she started, looking at his face and seeing that he was grinning at her.

"Annabeth? Are you alright?" he asked politely, still grinning, knowing the direction in which her thoughts were heading.

"Yes, I am. What's up?" she said as she leaned against her doorway. Inadvertently, this brought her much closer to Percy, whose throat tightened as he stared down at her.

"Nothing, I just wanted to check on you. See how you were doing," said Percy, glancing at the bandage round her head. He was quite amazed by the fact that despite being injured and having clearly just woken up from sleep, she still managed to look absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was pulled back in a messy braid and she was still wearing the Star Wars pyjamas from earlier. His eyes slowly travelled up her body, pausing at her lips when he realised that she was quite amused.

Annabeth smirked, it was his turn to stare now. And that too, with her looking like a mess. They looked into each other's eyes, and both suddenly realised that neither had said a word for a solid minute now. Another realisation came crashing down upon them when they realised that they were standing barely six inches away from each other, all the while leaning closer.

Annabeth jumped back, fiddling with her braid.

"Yeah, erm, I'm alright. Would you like to come in?" she asked, standing back from the door.

"Great. Oh, no thank you, I'm actually heading out. Just wanted to see you. I mean, see how you are," said Percy, mentally kicking himself.

"Okay. Have a good time, then. I'll see you later!" said Annabeth, moving to close the door.

"Yeah, see you" muttered Percy. He turned on his heel and slowly walked away, all the while berating himself for the slip of tongue that he was sure she had noticed. _Get a grip, you absolute buffoon. First you call her Sunshine, then you say that. Why don't you just snog her and be done with it?_ he said to himself angrily.

Annabeth closed the door, thinking about Percy's slip of tongue. Inwardly, she thanked Freud for coming up with the concept, and considered its meaning, which if she was being honest with herself, was pretty clear. But as she pictured him standing there, with those sleeves rolled up, just a few inches away from her, her heartbeat quickened.

For just a second, she let herself picture pushing Percy up against a wall, kissing him until he couldn't breathe, those arms around her, those hands in her hair, his lips against hers. She shook herself a little and went back into her bedroom, where she sat on her bed, far too wound up to sleep. Try as she did, her mind did not seem to want to do anything but imagine a full-on makeout session with Percy Jackson.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hello again! This is the longest chapter I've written for this story yet, hope you all like it. Please do read and review!

* * *

It had been a week since Annabeth had been injured. Her recovery was progressing well, but the Centre absolutely refused to let her back to work until her head was completely healed. Spouting some nonsense about further risks and pointing out that dealing with patients was likely to cause her more stress and pain, slowing down her healing, the HR department had managed to get her two weeks off, with pay.

Initially, Annabeth had been grateful, but by the end of the first week, she was going stir crazy, cooped up inside her flat. She had read all the books that she had wanted to earlier, caught up on her favourite TV shows, watched new films, thoroughly annoyed her family by calling far too often, and was thus out of options.

She was contemplating risking her sister's wrath by calling her again, but heard yelling outside her front door. She got up to investigate. Upon opening the door, she found Percy standing outside his flat along with a tall, blond man, talking loudly about something. The man noticed her standing in her doorway and cleared his throat.

Percy spun around and saw her before saying, "Hi! How are you?"

"I'm okay. You?" asked Annabeth, looking at the stranger. He was handsome, blond haired and blue eyed, with broad shoulders. Maybe an inch taller than Percy.

"I'm great. This is Jason Grace," said Percy, gesturing to the man next to him, who stepped forward to shake Annabeth's hand.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth Chase," said Annabeth. Jason seemed to recognise her name, glancing quickly over at Percy who widened his eyes for a fraction of a second, warning Jason to be silent.

"It's great to meet you, _Dr._ Chase. I'm so sorry we disturbed you, you must be needing rest," said Jason in earnest. He realised what he had said a split second later. He looked at Percy and opened his mouth to apologise, but Percy was covering his face in his hands.

Annabeth looked between the two of them, clearly enjoying herself.

"So...you talk about me then, eh Jackson?" she asked, smirking at Percy, who peeked at her through his fingers, before running his hands through his hair, sighing heavily and saying, "I might have mentioned you. Once or twice."

"All the time," said Jason, pretending to cough. Annabeth's smirk grew as Percy glared daggers at the back of his friend's head.

"To how many people have you been singing my praises to, exactly?" asked Annabeth, with a cheeky smile on her face.

"I do not sing your praises! And all I told Jason is that I live next to you," said Percy, crossing his arms.

"Singing like a nightingale. Told everyone," said Jason, pretending to cough again. On hearing Percy's cry of protest, he smiled innocently at him and said "well, _someone_ has to maintain honesty, you douche."

"Haha, I hate you so much. Anyway, we should get going. See you later, Annabeth!" said Percy, grabbing the back of Jason's jacket and starting to drag him along the corridor. Jason wriggled out his grasp and said, "wait, Dr. Chase! Would you like to come with us to lunch?"

Annabeth had been watching the whole exchange with a huge smile on her face. In response to Jason's query, she hesitated before saying, "oh, no. Thank you so much, but I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding, I promise. I would love to get to know you. If you're feeling up to it, of course," said Jason, a pleading expression on his face.

Annabeth looked at Percy, wanting to know how he felt. It was their lunch after all. But his face was blank as he said "your choice".

"Erm, okay! Sure, i'll come along. Let me just go get changed, I doubt Doctor Who pyjamas are appropriate!" said Annabeth. She entered her flat and called out to the boys to follow her in. They did so, settling themselves on Annabeth's tiny sofa while she went into her room and shut the door behind her.

Five minutes later, she emerged from her room, clad in a simple white tank top and a short black skirt. She had on black flats and had left her hair loose, her curls cascading down her back. While the bandage on her head was no longer there, the wound only covered by a patch of gauze and tape, her arm was still in its cast and sling.

As she exited the small hallway and walked into the living room, Jason glanced at Percy, smiling slightly as he noted the dumbstruck look on his friend's face. While he thought Annabeth looked pretty, Percy was clearly enamoured. Annabeth didn't notice a thing however, as she was busy fishing for her house keys in the small black bag she was carrying.

"Ready to go?" asked Jason, standing up.

"Yes, let's go," said Annabeth. She walked out of the flat, followed closely by the boys and locked it.

As they walked downstairs, Jason kept up a steady stream of chatter, telling Annabeth all about his job as a programmer and his time living in San Francisco. Percy was uncharacteristically silent and kept looking at Annabeth out of the corner of his eye.

"Listen, stop worrying about me. If I hadn't been able to handle it, I wouldn't have come along. I'm perfectly okay," said Annabeth, rounding on Percy and stopping him from entering the passenger seat of Jason's car.

"I'm not worrying about you-" she shot him a look, "-okay, maybe a little. Can't help it, I'm sorry," said Percy.

"Oh, don't apologise for that! Just stop worrying," said Annabeth.

"As if I can turn it on and off like a tap! You should know I can't do that!"

"Well, you can maybe try to not look like someone just ate the last pint of your favourite ice cream!"

"How vivid. Wonder if you used that imagination when you decided that you were well enough to come along today."

"Okay, you'd better take that back. I make my own decisions and you are nobody to tell me what to do."

"You're right. I'm sorry. But I'm not telling you what to do, I'm telling you what I think."

"Apology accepted. You can keep thinking all you want, not going to stop me!" exclaimed Annabeth.

Just as Percy opened his mouth to retort, they heard a snort from the other side of the car. They turned their heads simultaneously and saw Jason sniggering.

"Oh, by all means, continue. Don't let me stop you," he said, holding back laughter.

"I'm just going to...get in the car," said Annabeth, shooting Percy a glare. She pushed past him to sit in the passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, and pointedly stared out the window at him.

Percy threw his hands up in surrender. Muttering about obstinate blondes and annoying friends, he flung open the backdoor of the car and flounced down on the seat, folding his arms across his chest. Jutting his jaw out, he glared out the window.

Jason looked at both of them, let out a loud chuckle and slid into the driver's seat, shaking his head. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"You know, while I truly enjoy this angry silence, given that we have a 30 minute drive ahead of us, I'll put on some music?" said Jason, glancing at Annabeth.

"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry about earlier, by the way," said Annabeth sheepishly. She looked over her shoulder at Percy, who sighed, unfolded his arms and said "sorry, mate".

"No worries. Tell me if you know this song," said Jason, selecting a playlist from the list displayed in front of him on the music system. _Arabella_ by Arctic Monkeys began playing. On hearing the first note, Annabeth let out a cry of surprise.

"I _love_ this song!" she said, turning around to look at Percy who had a smile on his face.

"Yeah, me too. Perce here introduced me to Arctic Monkeys a week or so ago and I haven't been able to stop listening since," said Jason.

"I didn't know you were an Arctic Monkeys fan, Percy! You should come over to my place some night when I have one of my night listening binges. It'll be fun!" said Annabeth, dancing in her seat to the music.

Percy had been humming along to the song, and upon hearing Annabeth's invite, smiled and said "sure, any day".

Songs by Arctic Monkeys were played throughout the rest of the drive, the only noteworthy event being Annabeth and Percy's bickering over the best Arctic Monkeys song. Annabeth thought it was _Knee Socks_ while Percy remained firm on _No. 1 Party Anthem_. The argument was brought to a rest only when Jason loudly interjected by saying "well, if you two are quite finished, I'd like to actually _listen_ to the music".

They pulled up at the restaurant in a little over 30 minutes after they had set out. As the trio sat down at a corner table, with Jason next to Annabeth and Percy across the table from her, they were greeted by a smiling waiter named Nick. Jason asked him for three glasses of water and launched into a story about the first time he had visited the restaurant, three years ago.

Nick brought them the water and asked if they were ready to order. After a quick look at the menu, they ordered spaghetti bolognese for Jason and Percy, and a mushroom risotto for Annabeth.

"So, you're a vegetarian then, are you?" asked Percy.

"Yes, I am," said Annabeth with a small nod.

"You weren't back in school. What changed?" inquired Percy.

"Well, I simply couldn't partake in the cruelty that is inflicted upon so many animals due to the meat industry. Directly or indirectly. To each her own, though," said Annabeth, shrugging her non-injured shoulder.

Percy simply stared at her for a few seconds before saying, " _No. 1 Party Anthem_ is still the best", which prompted Annabeth to throw her hand up in the air and proceed to tell Percy exactly why, in her opinion, he could not be more wrong.

Before any of them realised, their food arrived. None of them paid much attention to the food, being far too engaged in their conversation, which was punctuated by loud, unrestrained laughter periodically.

When the time to order dessert came, however, Annabeth grew serious, scanning her menu repeatedly, with a small furrow in her brow.

"Just pick one! How difficult can it be? See, I'll show you-" said Percy, looking at his own menu for a fraction of a second, "-I'll have the tiramisu".

Annabeth stared at him in shock before saying, "Perseus Jackson, choosing a dessert is an incredibly difficult decision when you have THIS many options! I can't possibly pick one that quickly! Let me think".

She proceeded to stare at her menu, frowning in concentration. Percy shook his head incredulously at her and rolled his eyes at Jason, who seemed to be incredibly amused. After about two minutes, Annabeth let out a "HA!" of triumph and proudly announced, "I'll have a slice of the Chocolate Decadence!".

"Congratulations on making such a difficult decision, Annabeth. We're all proud of you," said Jason with a smile, prompting a snort from Percy.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the pair of them, "Fine, be like that. See if I share any of my undoubtedly superior dessert with you!".

Still smiling, Jason ordered the desserts (apple pie for him) and began recounting an incident that had happened in San Francisco.

After a few minutes, their desserts arrived, and it became clear upon visual inspection that Annabeth's choice was the most appealing. She grinned smugly and pulled her plate towards herself. As she took a small bite, she let out a soft moan and looked toward the ceiling, a smile spreading across her face. If she had happened to look toward either of the men at that moment, she would have seen identical expressions of wonder on their faces, albeit for two very different reasons. Percy was gazing at her in awe, completely enamoured by her, while Jason was gazing at her dessert in awe.

Percy laughed softly, "your expression was one of pure love," he said to Annabeth, who chuckled at that.

"Yep, true, I'm in love," she said, gazing fondly at her dessert. It was lucky that she happened to be looking toward her plate, as she noticed two small spoons approaching the plate.

Pulling her plate closer toward herself, she said, "Nuh-uh. Neither of you are getting any of this. ALL MINE!".

Percy pouted, "but that's not fair! We're all friends here, and I'll have you know that sharing is caring," he said.

"Guess I don't care then!" said Annabeth with a laugh, blocking Percy's access to her plate with her hand. He sighed and pulled his own plate towards himself, took a bite and let out another sigh, saying "well, after merely _looking_ at that dessert, nothing will match up. This isn't bad though".

Soon enough, the trio finished their desserts, laughing all the while. When the bill arrived, however, there was an intense argument over who would pay it, with each person claiming it. Percy argued that since he knew both Jason and Annabeth, he should be the one to pay. Annabeth declared that to be the thinnest argument she had heard in her life, and stated that as she was imposing on the guys, she should pay. Jason remained firm that as he had picked the restaurant and invited Annabeth along, he should pay the bill.

In the end, Jason won, not by argument, but by simply grabbing the bill and handing it over to Nick, along with his credit. This acted Percy to exclaim "deception!" before begrudgingly accepting his defeat.

A few minutes later, they piled into Jason's car again, with Percy driving. Jason stretched out his legs along the backseat, and Annabeth sat in the passenger seat.

About 10 minutes in, Percy glanced over and saw that Annabeth was leaning her head back against the headrest, a peaceful smile on her face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" said Percy, turning the music down.

"Oh, no, nothing, just happy. Content, actually," said Annabeth, turning her head to look at him.

Percy smiled at her and said, "glad to hear that". Still smiling, he turned his attention back to the road.

Soon, they pulled up in the parking lot of Percy and Annabeth's building, and all three got out of the car.

"Well, this was a lot of fun. Thank you so much for inviting me, I had a great time!" said Annabeth, standing on her tip toes to hug Jason.

"I had a great time too. It was wonderful, getting to know you," said Jason, bending down to hug her.

"Likewise," said Annabeth, pulling away. She smiled at Jason before bidding him goodbye and walking toward the building.

She had reached the front door of the building before she realised that Percy was not with her. She turns and saw that he and Jason were talking in low whispers. He said goodbye after a few seconds and quickly jogged to catch up with Annabeth.

"What was that all about?" asked Annabeth.

"Oh, nothing. Work stuff," said Percy airily, holding the door open for Annabeth.

"I see," she said, walking past him.

Slowly, they climbed up the stairs. Annabeth had a little bit of difficulty because her head had started to throb again. Holding on to Percy's arm for support, she climbed the stairs. Eventually, they reached Annabeth's flat. She fished out her keys and opened the door, leaning against the doorway, looking up at Percy.

"I really did have a great time. Thank you for letting me come along," said Annabeth, softly.

"That's great. I'm happy you came," said Percy.

A few seconds passed while neither said anything, just looked at each other.

"Oh, and thank you for not saying 'I told you so' just now," said Annabeth, smiling.

"Haha, you're welcome," said Percy.

He leaned forward just a little. Unconsciously, she mirrored his action. Smiling, Percy brushed a lock of Annabeth's hair behind her ear, before leaning down to softly kiss her on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Sunshine" he whispered, his mouth grazing her cheek, before straightening and walking off, his heart hammering in his chest. He hadn't paused to take in her reaction, the fear of the unknown taking over. Quickly, he unlocked and entered his own flat, flinging himself down on his couch. His heart was still beating fast as he pulled out his phone to text Jason.

Annabeth stood in her doorway, stunned at what had just transpired. She reached up to touch the spot on her cheek where Percy had kissed her, she could still feel his mouth on her skin, almost as if it had left a mark. Her mind was reeling, she didn't know what she was feeling, what Percy was feeling, what any of the day's events meant. All she knew was that things were moving far too fast, and she needed to take a step back to re-evaluate the situation.


End file.
